Forum rules
When posting a topic about a new skin you have released, follow the sample posts here. If your post does not closely resember the sample post, you risk getting it deleted. This is not to try to make you life difficult, it is to keep a consistent look throughout the forum to assist the downloaders.

All the graphics used in my skins come from images freely offered in public domain backgrounds, wallpapers, or other free graphics directories, for download and use by anyone; or if not, they have been made by myself. I have a collection of thousands of backgrounds and other graphics. The reason I have so many is because I have been collecting them for many years, and because I have been making the graphics for my websites and blogs, for a long time.

There is always the possibility that an image from a free graphics site may have gotten there erroneously, and may be copyrighted. This is a risk that is understood as being inherent in using the free graphics from these sites. They can not always guarantee that something copyrighted did not slip through somehow.

I am very careful to only use graphics offered on free graphics sites stating that they for anyone to use. If anyone sees a graphic I am using, that has been copyrighted, then they must please inform me, and I will immediately remove that graphic, and offer my deepest regret and sincere apologies - it would have happened unknowingly.

Most generally, Fair Use says that graphics may be used for evaluation, educational purposes, or for personal use, and not for profit. Fair Use of graphics could conceivably be violated when the graphic is used to make a profit commercially, or when the use of the graphic detracts from the earnings of the copyright-holder. Neither of which would be the case in using the free graphics for making free browser skins for personal use.

In other words, if someone were to start selling browser skins with copyrighted images, or if someone used another's copyrighted logo to sell something of their own, then there could conceivably be grounds for a problem.

Since these free graphics are being used to make skins which are only intended for personal use and evaluation, and are not for sale in any way, there should be no problem.

As to my own graphics, I don't care what anybody does with them. None of my own are copyrighted and I don't ever expect to profit from any of them. I make them because it's fun, not to make money from them.

My purpose is not to profit from making the browser skins; it is only a creative hobby that I enjoy, and I also like making pretty things for other people to enjoy.

Yes. You do need to be careful about some graphics. Always be sure to read the indications for the use of the graphics on the sites you visit. Sometimes they will only allow you to download the image for your own personal use. (ie: a wallpaper may only be downloaded and used on your own computer. Sometimes you can re-use the images if you alter them and make something else with them to offer for download to others. Some people don't want you to alter their images at all. Many times, they either request or demand a link back to their site if you use their image. No one EVER wants you to claim the graphics as your own and offer them for download at another graphics download site for sale! At other times, they will let you use them for anything you want to use them for, even commercial use. So take the time to read the guidelines for the use of the graphics posted on the site you are visiting.

As stated in my previous post, with the massive use of graphics being used on the internet, it is quite common for images that are copyrighted to slip through the cracks into the public domain download sites. For this reason, if you do intend to use a graphic for commercial use, be sure to investigate very fully, whether it is a copyrighted image. If you should sell something that you have used a copyrighted image for, you can get in serious big trouble, up to a $250,000 fine! So really, it is best NOT to use images downloaded from the internet on anything you intend to sell.

Fair use laws, however, protect even the use of copyrighted images, if they are used for evaluation, teaching, education, and personal use, or for parody. Where you run into trouble is by trying to make money from using copyrighted images, and if the use of the image causes the owner of the image to lose money as a result.

Most of the images on public domain graphics download sites are safe to use, though.

In the cases of, for example, Little Mermaid or Twitter skins I uploaded, those are probably copyrighted. But the skins are not for sale. They are for personal use only.

Balefire wrote:Only Background Skins should be on this board. Remarks such as this one belong in the next catagory which allows discussion of skins. This should be removed from Background Skins. Thanks